Show your Bird Portraits

[Valvebounce]

Hi Jack.
Looks like your setup is serving you well, beautiful pictures.
Captured from your living room with remote control, did you get it working yet? Being a soft southerner I think my blood would turn solid at that temperature!

Cheers Graham.

Same old, same old. It was -18C and overcast but the birds didn't mind. A couple even suggested they have portraits done!

6D 300 2.8 II 1600th F8 ISO 640
1000th F5.6 ISO 640

Jack

 

[Click]

Same old, same old. It was -18C and overcast but the birds didn't mind. A couple even suggested they have portraits done!

6D 300 2.8 II 1600th F8 ISO 640
1000th F5.6 ISO 640

Jack

Very nice shots Jack. I especially like the first one. Well done.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Thanks guys. No wifi on these, I was out there in the cold all bundled up. did my first video of the Downy and chickadee and i was very pleased with the results via the 300. On pause it almost looked like a pretty decent photo. Next time I'll try video with the 70-200 2.8 and X1.4. I can see getting spoiled with set-ups being so close!!

The birds truly love all my little bushes and stumps with the treats concealed within!

One other poser today, same old same old. 6D 300 1600th F4 ISO 640

Magpies are showing up but I can't even get a shot (not even with my 22).

Jack

 

[Jack Douglas]

Thought some folk might be interested in a comparison between the previous 300 2.8 II chickadee shot and a very similarly framed one done with 70-200 2.8 II at 200 X1.4 III. Same ISO of 640,1250th F 5.6. Pixel peeping my 300 has only a very slight edge.

Jack

 

[Jack Douglas]

The previous 300 shot was cropped a little so here it is again uncropped for a better comparison.

Jack

 

[Cog]

I haven't seen these guys much in December and January, but today I spotted one.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Cog, you've got a lot of very nice shots on your site. Enjoyed them all!

Jack

 

[canonrumorstony]

Spotted Towhee

1D Mk IV with 70-300L & 1.4x TC

 

[Click]

I haven't seen these guys much in December and January, but today I spotted one.

Lovely shot Cog

 

[Cog]

Cog, you've got a lot of very nice shots on your site. Enjoyed them all!

Jack

Thank you! I'm glad you liked them.

 

[Click]

Spotted Towhee

1D Mk IV with 70-300L & 1.4x TC

Very nice shot Tony. Well done.

 

[jrista]

GREAT stuff recently, guys!!

Love the nuthatch photos. Plenty of those in the mountains, but I don't get any in my back yard. Love their quirky antics.

The spotted twohee photo is wonderful. Love the composition and overall IQ. Excellent!

Jack, your really starting to get a hang of your setups now! Backgrounds look much better. Setups are getting better. I still think your underexposing just a bit...try a little bit more ETTR, which might help you extract a little more contrast in post. Looking forward to seeing how your setup stuff progresses.

 

[Cog]

I haven't seen these guys much in December and January, but today I spotted one.

Lovely shot Cog

Thank you!

 

[steven kessel]

Wow, that towhee shot is just super!

 

[Orangutan]

Wow, that towhee shot is just super!

It certainly is. Tony nailed the focus on the eye -- it looks like a little jewel.

 

[Orangutan]

These are nowhere near as good as what others have posted, but I'd appreciate any constructive feedback.

1. Green-winged teal. 60D+100-400L; 1/1250s, f/6.3, ISO 640
2. Yellow-rumped warbler. 60D+100-400L; 1/1250s, f/6.3, ISO400

 

[Jack Douglas]

Jrista, as always a source of encouragement!

Something that I got, by going with the old chair base, is very free rotation. I just reach out and it spins with a finger. Having 5 props around the main stump allows quite a bit of versatility to the background. I did add the dead birch a few days back.

For anyone else, this prop was purely an experiment and I can tell you that midway through I felt discouraged because it was a couple of pretty intense days of construction without a clue whether the final result would be satisfactory - especially the 5 bedsprings held by 3 wire circles (surplus welding wire thrown out by your "typical government funded institution").

If your're tempted to do something vaguely similar go for it as I'll bet you'll be thrilled. I roll mine out of the way to clean the deck and roll it east or west to shoot depending on time of day etc. Happy as a lark!

If only the birds were as excited and would tell their friends!! But, I was visited by an angel.

Jack

 

[Eldar]

Jack, I'm sure you have posted an image or two of your rig. But could you do me the favor of reposting. I'm thinking of building something similar and all good ideas would be most welcome.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Eldar, no problem. Tomorrow I'll take a few shots, more detailed, and post them as smaller files so that everything is obvious. Then anyone that wishes can ask questions or even make suggestions for improvements. jrista has me interested in a positioning arm that could hold different props horizontally in front of the log and be adjustable. Keep your eyes open for a rotten woodpecker drilled out stump, as the birds love it.

This is getting a little personal here but, I had those bed springs because my son moved out and I tore his bed apart not wanting to wait until spring when I had my truck to haul it away - funny I looked at the springs and said, hmm these seem useful for something, but I have about 50 of them. . Anyway, the springs actually work pretty good with the nuts welded above. :-[

Actually, the whole thing could be done in wood if a person just gave it careful thought, but it's hard to beat the old chair for a base. It's actually quite light too.

Jack

 

[Rienzphotoz]

Spotted Towhee

1D Mk IV with 70-300L & 1.4x TC

Magnificent sir! ... didn't know that the 70-300 L takes the 1.4x TC ... is that a Kenko TC or Canon?